Hussain Sajwani: A Self-Made Billionaire Never Forgets His Humble Past

CEO Hussain Sajwani of the DAMAC Group began his journey as an entrepreneur in 1982, when he founded Draieh Management Services, which later became part of the DAMAC Group. Sajwani’s first business was a catering company, which mainly served American military personnel and American companies doing business in the Middle East. Much has changed for Sajwani over the years, as he is a self-made billionaire now, however, the catering business remains a part of the DAMAC Group.

Today, Hussain Sajwani is the face of DAMAC Properties in the United States, especially in light of his business relationship with Donald Trump, who called Sajwani and his family “beautiful people” at his 2016 New Year’s Eve celebration. Hussain Sajwani’s current deal with the Trump Organization includes a development with luxury villas and apartments, built by DAMAC Properties, surrounding the Trump International Golf Course in Dubai. A Tiger Woods-designed Trump World Golf Course is in the works as well. Sajwani expressed a desire to continue to do business with the Trump Organization and he and his wife wish to continue their friendship with President Donald Trump’s children as well.

While Hussain Sajwani holds a number of positions, including executive chairman of DAMAC Properties and DAMAC Real Estate Development, he did not always dream of being an entrepreneur. As a child Sajwani saw how hard his father worked in his watch shop, therefore, he decided to come to the U.S. and attend the University of Washington, so that he could pursue a career in business and work regular hours. Nevertheless, Hussain Sajwani felt the call of entrepreneurship immediately after college and he came back to Dubai to found his empire. In the thirty-plus years since he started Draieh Management Services, Sajwani has accumulated a number of very successful businesses in the DAMAC; DAMAC Invest holds over $1 billion in assets and DAMAC Properties is expanding into North Africa, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the Far East.